Nelda Martinez

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Nelda Martinez (born July 22, 1961) is an American businesswoman, Realtor, and politician.  Martinez broke historical barriers in Corpus Christi, Texas city council elections when, in 2007, she became the first woman and first Hispanic to be the highest vote-getter in an at-large election, a feat she achieved for each of her three at-large races.  In 2012, she became the city’s first Hispanic woman to be elected mayor.  She was re-elected to a second term in 2014.

Early life and education

Martinez was born July 22, 1961 in Corpus Christi, Texas, the middle of nine children of Dr. Maria Consuelo Martinez and the late Roosevelt Martinez. Nelda Martinez has a daughter, Amanda Rose, who she put up for adoption shortly after birth.  Twenty-nine years later they were re-united and Martinez now has a son-in-law, Michael, and two granddaughters, Hannah and Emma. Martinez graduated from Mary Carroll High School in Corpus Christi.  She earned a bachelor of arts degree in government with a minor in Latin American studies from the University of Texas at Austin.  She is also an alumna of Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.

Professional career

Martinez is founder and owner/president of Adlen Enterprises, Inc., a real estate holding company.  She formerly was a co-owner of Nueces Title before selling the company, and she was co-founder and president of First American Closing Office, Inc, which she sold to Stewart Title.  Martinez is a licensed Realtor in the State of Texas.

Public service career

Martinez was a three-term at-large member of the Corpus Christi City Council from 2007 to 2012.  Martinez was a three-term at-large member of the Corpus Christi City Council from 2007 to 2012. In 2009, she opposed a revision to the city’s Ethics Policy.  The proposed revision would have allowed council members the ability to contract with the city for business.  The council voted to uphold the 1989 rule prohibiting council members from holding city contracts.

Martinez was elected as the 53rd mayor of Corpus Christi, Texas in 2012.  She was the first Hispanic woman to be elected mayor and the third woman to hold the position since the election of Betty Turner, the first female mayor, in 1987. (3) She was re-elected to a second mayoral term in 2014.  She ran unsuccessfully for a third and final term losing to Dan McQueen on November 8, 2016.  (6)  After McQueen resigned from office after only five weeks, Martinez ran in the special mayoral election in 2017, losing to Joe McComb..

In her State of the City speech in February 2014, Martinez talked about the city’s accelerated growth in population, new construction, and jobs.  She said the city ranked tenth in the nation in 2014 with a 3.8 percent increase in its economic base, a 4.3 percent increase in jobs, and a 32 percent increase in residential home permits.   The fast-paced growth highlighted the city’s most critical issues, namely the deteriorating condition of city streets, a backlog of infrastructure improvements, and the need for a long-term regional water supply.  

In 2012, Martinez supported the city council’s adoption of the Street Improvement Plan for street preventative maintenance and reconstruction.  Again, in 2014, she supported the adoption of the Street Preventative Maintenance Program. The hallmark of that program was the passage of the Street Maintenance Fee as a way to fund years of deferred street maintenance

Martinez advocated for securing the region’s long-term water supply.  In 2010, the city began the initial design of the Mary Rhodes Pipeline Phase 2, a 42-mile pipeline from the Colorado River and Lake Texana north of Corpus Christi. Construction began in 2014 and the project was completed in 2016, providing a fourth source of water to meet projected demand through 2040.  

Despite growth in new home permits, the city faced a shortage of affordable housing.  Martinez promoted a mix of housing options throughout Corpus Christi which resulted in ground being broken on several affordable housing apartment complexes in 2014.  

Martinez was part of a regional team that was able to secure funding commitments in 2013 for a new Harbor Bridge spanning the Port of Corpus Christi harbor. The proposed new bridge would allow larger ships to enter the Port of Corpus Christi harbor, thus assuring the long-term viability of the port, at the time the nation’s fifth largest port in terms of tonnage. . 

One of the biggest issues of 2015 was the revitalization of the downtown and bayfront areas.   The city and Downtown Management District began work on a Downtown Redevelopment Plan that included a re-design of Shoreline Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare, and public spaces along the bayfront.   Martinez supported the plan development as well as a vote to amend and expand the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #3 that had been created in 2008 as a funding source and financial incentive for downtown development.  (15)  In 2015, Corpus Christi was designated as a Texas Main Street City by the Texas Historical Commission, providing further resources to stimulate investment in the downtown area.

Efforts to support and sustain the mission and operations of the military in and around Corpus Christi are important to the regional economy.   In 2013, the city council adopted the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi Joint Land Use Study as part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.  As mayor, Martinez supported this collaborative planning effort between the City of Corpus Christi, NAS Corpus Christi and Nueces County.  The plan seeks to assure compatibility of development in and around NAS Corpus Christi training installations --  Truax, Waldron and Cabaniss fields and at the Corpus Christi International Airport.  

As mayor, Martinez pursued efforts to enforce stricter guidelines for payday and auto title loan businesses. In August 2015, the city council voted to enact the credit access business registration and regulation ordinance.

In July 2016, Martinez support the appointment of Margie C. Rose as the first woman and first Black person to be named city manager, replacing Ron Olson who had resigned in May. Rose, who was deputy city manager, had worked for the city for 14 years.

Community involvement

Martinez serves and has served on numerous non-profit boards in her community, region and state.  She served as president of the Texas Municipal League in 2013, a non-profit association providing services to Texas cities through legislative, legal, and educational efforts.   She has also served on the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Services Policy and Advocacy Committee and was a member of Texas Mayors of military Communities. 

Other community service includes,

•  LBJ Women’s Campaign School, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, advisory board
•  Christus Spohn Health System Foundation trustee
•  NAACP lifetime member
•  Clowns Who Care for Driscoll Children’s Hospital “Madame Flutterby”
• Executive Women International (EWI) Corpus Christi Chapter president, 1997
•  Foster Angels of South Texas board member
•  Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas advisory board
•  Palmer Drug Abuse Program board member
•  Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation
•  Coastal Bend Council of Governments
•  Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend Chief Elected Officials Council
•  Gulf Coast Strategic Highway and I-69 Alliance
•  Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau Ambassadors program graduate, 2013
•  South Texas Catholic Diocese Bishop’s Guild (organizer of the inaugural board)
• Building America’s Future Educational Fund, a bipartisan coalition of current and former elected officials.  

Awards and honors

Martinez has received numerous awards and honors, including

•  Knight of the Honorable Order of St. Michael, Army Aviation Association of America, Inc, Corpus Christi Army Depot Chapter, 2016
•  Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC) Women of Distinction Award, 2015
•  League of Women Voters, Corpus Christi Chapter, Trailblazers Award, 2015
•  Texas Speech Communication Association Communicator of the Year, 2013
•  U.S. Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion, 2007
•  Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas Estrella of Texas at the 25^th annual state conference
•  Del Mar College Distinguished Alumni Award
•  YWCA Corpus Christi Y Women in Careers Award for Corporate/Business Management, 2000
•  Coastal Bend Area GI Forum Women’s Chapter “Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year,” 1999

References

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